(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image sending apparatus for sending a scanned and input image or the like to another apparatus connected via a network, in particular to a technology for optimizing a method of such sending.
(2) Description of the Related Art
In recent years, image sending apparatuses have been in widespread use that send image data input thereto to a destination via a network by a sending method preferred by the user (e-mail, fax, FTP, internet fax or the like).
In addition, along with the improvement of a network environment, various networks have been available as methods of sending image data.
Under such circumstances, in the case where a sender sends the above image data to the destination, he/she selects an appropriate one from available multiple sending methods.
As technologies of selecting a sending method on such an image sending apparatus, a technology (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-12414) is disclosed which lets the sender to choose an appropriate sending method from a list of sending methods for a destination that have in advance been registered to the image sending apparatus.
Herewith, using the image sending apparatus, the sender can readily and quickly select a sending method to send image data to the destination.
However, this conventional technology involves an issue in which, since the sending method is selected by the sender, the image data may be sent by a method that does not suit the receiver's needs.
The problem could be that, for example, the image data sent by a sending method that has been registered in the image sending apparatus cannot be received because the receiver has been reassigned to another department or to another office and then his/her receiving equipment has been changed. Another problem would be that the receiver is temporarily visiting a different office on business and therefore cannot receive, at the visiting office, image data sent by a registered sending method.